It’s that time again, when split seconds can mean the difference between athletic notoriety and athletic obscurity. The Paris Olympics are underway, running through August 11, with the Paralympic Games to follow from August 28-September 8. With each Olympic Games every two years, data becomes more of a presence.
The use of data in the Olympics isn’t all that different from its use in other sports. What is different is, between the Olympics and the Paralympics, we are only exposed to the information and its results in a quick burst of a couple of weeks each, as opposed to watching them unfold over the course of a months-long season. Here are a few ways you’ll see data and analytics in Paris 2024.
Telecast
Data has become such a presence in televised athletic events that we often don’t know we’re watching something that is digitally enhanced, or, at the very least, we’re not thinking about the technology involved in bringing us the information. The Olympics offers plenty of opportunities to showcase how data can help present information.
“The Olympic Games generate a massive amount of data, data processing, and analysis opportunities, and consuming that volume and normalizing and integrating that data into storytelling enhancements plays a critical role in NBC Sports’ production,” said Dan Robertson, vice president of Olympics information technology for NBC Sports. NBC will integrate real-time and post-production data into its coverage of the Olympics and the Paralympics. Golf, gymnastics, swimming, diving, and track and field are among the sports that are likely to use special graphics such as real-time tracking or telestrators, while we’ll also see real-time updates for other graphics such as medal standings.
Security
The Olympics always pose an increased security threat, with its high profile and the number of athletes and spectators drawn to the same space. France will be using data gathered by artificial intelligence as part of its surveillance procedures. The move comes with controversy, as the French government changed laws to ensure the planned surveillance was legal.
Concerns about government surveillance overreach aside, the AI software is meant to prevent an attack at the Games. The AI software is designed to detect unusual activity such as abandoned objects, smoke or flames, certain traffic violations, and movements such as a crowd surging towards a gate. Some of it was tested at other events in the country, including a Taylor Swift concert and the Cannes Film Festival, and performed well.
Environmental
Security isn’t the only area where AI will play a role. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is committed to efforts to be more sustainable, and is using AI to monitor power consumption throughout the Games. More than 100 smart meters will gather data from the venues being used to host competitions as well as other more temporary venues set up for the event. The data will be used to compare the Paris energy consumption with previous Games, and AI will be employed to help with sustainability planning for future Games.
Open water enthusiasts have had their eyes on the Seine River, where it has been illegal to swim for about a century due to concerns about the water quality. The World Triathlon Federation uses metrics to determine how safe water is for competitions, and organizers have been scrambling right up to the start of the Games to test the water and using previous years’ data to try to predict the water quality when events are scheduled to take place on the Seine.
Athletes
The athletes, of course, use data to try and gain any possible edge on their competition. Swimmers use accelerometers that have internal gyroscopes and directional force meters to measure stroke efficiency, with the data being used to assemble a digital twin of the athlete that can be used to help improve technique and race strategy.
Fans see how data has become an integral part of the sports they watch every day. When it comes to sports that get their moment in the sun during the Olympics, like triathlon, the same reasoning applies: There are increasing ways to gather all kinds of data, and the decisions it allows an athlete to make could be the difference between a gold medal or finishing off the podium.
Analytics for your industry is no different. Whether it’s healthcare, beverage alcohol, utilities, or supply chain, the right analytics solution can help your business make the right decisions that can keep you ahead of the competition. Every time the Olympics and Paralympics take place, athletes who don’t always get recognition have the opportunity to show off their hard work. For observers interested in how data and analytics can play a role in sporting events, that technology also has a chance to be showcased. You can be sure that many of the millions of eyes watching the Games from home are also thinking about how some of that information can be applied to their business.
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